In October, a long and tempestuous relationship between the owner and coach of the New York Yankees came to the breaking point. Even if you aren’t a baseball fan, or hate the Yankees, what lessons can we all learn on managing the leaders of our businesses?

To review, Joe Torre, with only a couple of years left before retirement,  expected to remain with the team he took to twelve (12) playoffs and four (4) world championships. With his track record and penchant for managing to the highest standards of integrity, respect and consideration for his players and fans, Torre felt he was beyond evaluation or a performance-based contract. George Steinbrenner, the owner, was in complete disagreement. As the boss of baseball’s most storied team, he and his sons have a singular expectation–World Series Championships–and pay the price for victory at any cost. As we all know, the opera of Joe and George had its finale when Torre rejected Steinbrenner’s victory-based one year contract out of hand, leaving both without a contingency plan.

As business owners, what we can learn and avoid from this sudden ending to one of baseball’s greatest successes?

If you and your president:

•  Personally or professionally disagree on objectives, get on the same page now for your organization’s sake.  Otherwise your people will try to reconcile your differences and in the process waste everyone’s time, money and energy.
•  Have to compromise on how your objectives will be met, determine your personal threshold of acceptable disagreement that you will not only tolerate.  Never fight in front of the “children” whether they are customers, employees or vendors.
• Create a contingency plan or go-to resource for resolving differences, you can avoid needless escalations that can bring you to business divorce.
• Prepare a doomsday scenario and a triage plan if you have to eject your president or if he/she walks out.  Understand that the more you have prepared for a crisis, the less it will be seen as one

Managing a talented, capable leader can be one of the most trying challenges for you as the owner. And if your president becomes respected by your customers, employees or vendors, you may have created a peer who threatens you.  But if you recognize you cannot lead your business all by yourself and have found a talented second in command, managing through your two egos, testosterone and quirks will be a lot easier.

In October, I had the pleasure to address my home town, Solon, Ohio’s Civic Club, on regional growth.  The local press covered it here and if there is any truth to rarely being a prophet in one’s own land it was thrilling to be so well received. Solon Ohio is a great suburb, balanced commercially, relatively integrated, and in great shape given the decline of Northeast Ohio which surrounds it.  The big issue in Solon right now is which billion dollar development project the town should choose to replace its lack of a downtown with a high-end lifestyle center like NYC’s South Street Seaport or Columbus’ Easton Center.

With Cleveland’s gang shootings only 4 miles away and an intractable struggle between city politicians unwilling to give up their fiefdoms and share power with redundant suburban governments and services whose residents (e.g. Solonites) decreasingly work in and enjoy Cleveland, the new developments are a real flash-point for debate.

• Does Solon need such a showcase when there is so much destitution and redundancy nearby?
• While the new development will raise the retail and restaurant standards, it will put local incumbent retailers out of business.
• Bringing such additional wealth into Solon, in terms of a new tax base, employment and opportunity will only siphon more away from other less fortunate neighbors.

 Regardless of these good points, Economics 101 says that the strong need to get stronger because it is unlikely the weak will do so.  Cleveland is the most charitable city in the country yet is invariably one of the poorest.  I wrote an article about this titled Doing Well vs.Doing Good which lays out my premise that it doesn’t help anyone to help others until one can stop being a burden him or herself.  Giving charitably is great but our region has a knack of producing one hit wonders in the form of entrepreneurs, who after scoring one business hit, devote themselves to a life of charity and non profit work. Instead of taking their talents to higher levels and employing more people, paying more taxes and building more wealth, they start yet another redundant charity, non profit which only contributes to the cycle of Cleveland staying the most charitable and poorest.

So, when asked why should Solon raise its standards even higher, after even after just being named the best suburb in North East Ohio?  I say, because it must.  Excellence draws more talent and dollars towards it, raising margins and profits as it does tax dollars, employment and social services.  If mediocre retailers, restaurants and services fail in the face of increased competition, their customers were obviously willing to pay more for better quality and the incumbents blew it.

A good suburb, can no more rest on its laurels than can a good business or rock star.  Life is a competition and there are winners and losers.  When the flight attendant says, “Put Your Own Face Mask on Before Helping the Person Next to You,” she is not kidding.  We all owe it to ourselves, our clients, employees and our vendors to make ourselves healthy and as successful as possible.   Tell me what you think below.